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“Huh?” She sat up. “Why not?”
“I can’t afford it.”
She furrows her brow. “Gatorade just signed you to a deal and agreed to give you a five-thousand-dollar bonus upfront.”
“They did,” I say. “But a plane ticket to Sochi costs three thousand.”
“So? You bought that months ago.”
“I’m getting a refund.” I cup her face in my hands. “Your tuition is eight thousand, so I’ll use my money for that.”
“What?” She shook her head. “No, no, no. Travis, don’t—”
“Don’t what?”
“Waste your hard-earned money on me.”
“It’s not a waste,” I say. “You worked your ass off to get into that program and you deserve to go. You also deserve to get an apartment away from your terrible ass family, so I’ll help you with that once you get back to the states.”
“I can’t accept your money…”
“I’ve already spent it,” I say. “I handled the plane ticket request before driving here.”
Silence.
“What did Penelope say about you missing out on Sochi?”
I say nothing. I’m not looking forward to telling her that I won’t be there.
As if Tatiana can read my mind, her eyes widen.
“She’ll hate me even more than she already does.” She shakes her head. “She’s told everyone how you’re coming as a tribute to her mom, and I mean, I’m sure her mom would want you to support your family over some random girl you’re dating.”
I press a finger against her lips. “For the umpteenth time, her mother was my mom, too. I’m doing exactly what she made me promise, hours before she passed away in the hospital.”
“I’m just saying, Travis…”
“Take care of Penelope as best you can,” I recite her last words verbatim. “And please find someone or something to help you, too…You’ll need someone to help you get through life, too. That person for me is you, Tati.”
I pause to wipe a stream of tears from her eyes.
“I’m still in pain about something I can never change,” I say. “But your situation is something that I can fix, so let me.”
She remains silent as I pull her against my chest, and we listen to the raindrops dance atop my car’s roof for what feels like forever.
“Travis?” she whispers at sunrise.
“Yeah?”
“I promise to pay you back for this someday.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Well, I’ll always owe you a huge favor then.”
“Okay.” I kiss her lips. “I’ll hold you to that…”
THIRTY-FIVE
